WhatsApp automation for businesses in India
Slide, by Synquic, lets a business in India use WhatsApp to capture leads from Click-to-WhatsApp ads and QR codes, qualify them with a bot or an AI agent, hand them to sales, and follow up with approved campaigns. Several features work only for Indian numbers: SMS fallback for failed campaign messages, payment requests inside the chat, and address requests. Workspaces created with an Indian number are billed in rupees, and Meta's per-message charges on its India rate line are drawn from a prepaid wallet.
Facts on this page were last reviewed on 11 October 2026. See the key facts and sources.
The buyer and the problem
Founders, marketing and sales teams at Indian businesses that run ads, sell online or take enquiries, and want WhatsApp to capture, qualify and follow up leads rather than act only as a support line.
Leads arrive from ads, QR codes and the website, and they cool while someone works out who they are and what they want. Campaigns sent from a single phone leave no record of who opted in, and nobody can say which ad a buyer came from. India also brings rules that do not apply elsewhere: rupee billing with Meta by the end of 2026, and SMS rules that stop where WhatsApp begins.
Supported capabilities, mapped to the product
Leads from ads, QR codes and your website
A Click-to-WhatsApp ad referral is captured with its source, so each lead shows the ad it came from. QR codes and links start a chosen flow, and a chat button on your site, native WhatsApp forms and Meta or Google lead forms feed the same contact list.
Source:Meta Ads guideQualifying questions that fill in the contact
Button and list questions collect what sales needs, check typed answers such as an email address, write each answer to a contact field, set tags and a lifecycle stage, and assign an owner. Every channel writes to the same contact, matched on phone number first.
An AI agent for the open questions
When a lead asks something a menu cannot answer, an AI agent replies from your knowledge base and can search products in a connected Shopify store. AI steps depend on your plan, and the agent answers in Hindi or another language only when its instructions tell it to.
Campaigns with SMS fallback for Indian numbers
Scheduled broadcasts of approved templates go to a tag or segment, with delayed follow-ups, and unsubscribed or blocked contacts are skipped. When a WhatsApp message fails, a campaign can fall back to email, or to SMS for Indian numbers, which is the only market where SMS fallback works.
Source:Campaigns guidePayment and address requests inside the chat
Indian businesses can send a payment request inside WhatsApp, which runs on Indian payment methods configured with Meta, and can ask a customer for a delivery address in a structured message. Payment requests are India only; address requests cover Indian and Singapore numbers.
Shopify store events
A connected Shopify store triggers about 20 events, among them abandoned checkout, order confirmation, cash on delivery, shipped, delivered, reorder and back in stock. A cash on delivery confirm or cancel reply is recorded in Slide but does not change the Shopify order.
Source:Shopify guideTemplates in eight Indian languages and English
Campaigns and follow-ups can be written in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada or Malayalam as well as English. Punjabi, Urdu and Odia are not in the editor today.
A Click-to-WhatsApp ad lead, from first tap to a counsellor
A coaching institute in Pune runs a Click-to-WhatsApp ad for a weekend course. This is how one lead moves from the ad to the person who enrols students. The support side of the same number is covered on WhatsApp customer service in India.
- Trigger
A tap on the ad opens a chat
Someone taps the ad on Instagram and sends the prefilled message. Slide stores the ad referral on the new contact as the lead source. Because the conversation began from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, Meta does not charge for its messages for 72 hours, provided the institute replies within 24 hours.
- Customer interaction
Three questions, answered with buttons
The bot asks which course, which weekend batch suits, and whether the person is a student or a parent, all with buttons so nobody has to type. It then asks for an email address and rejects one that is not valid.
- Qualification
Answers become fields, a tag and an owner
Each answer is written to a contact field. A lead who picked a batch gets the tag "weekend-batch" and the lifecycle stage "lead", and the flow assigns them to the counsellor who runs that batch.
- Human handoff
The counsellor takes over in the same chat
A handoff step leaves the conversation in the inbox with every answer on the contact and emails the counsellor, who replies in the chat and arranges a call back. A new message from the lead can start an automation again, so the flow ends at the handoff rather than asking more.
- Exception
If the lead goes quiet
The service window closes 24 hours after the lead's last message, and only an approved template can reach them after that. A marketing template needs their opt-in, so while the chat is open the bot asks "Can we send you batch updates on WhatsApp?" and records the answer.
- Recorded outcome
A lead record sales can work from
The contact holds the ad it came from, the course, the batch, the email address, the opt-in answer and the owner, and the run is logged step by step. Leads who said yes can join the segment for the next intake; following them up is covered on WhatsApp sales conversion in India.
An illustration of how the workflow runs, not a customer case study. Names, numbers and messages are examples.
What you need, and the launch sequence
Requirements
- Meta business verification, started early
The WhatsApp number sits in a Meta business portfolio, and Meta verifies the business before the account can send at scale. It takes several business days, so begin before you build anything.
Source:Meta Business Manager guide - A number you can take off the WhatsApp apps
A number registered on the WhatsApp consumer or Business app cannot connect until that app account is deleted. Decide whether to move the number your customers already know or use a new one.
Source:WhatsApp Business setup guide - Lead sources pointed at the number
Run Click-to-WhatsApp ads to the connected number, print QR codes that start the right flow, and connect Meta lead ads or Google lead forms if you also collect leads there. The Meta Ads guide covers the ad side.
Source:Meta Ads guide - Marketing and utility templates approved
Anything sent after the 24-hour window needs a template that Meta has approved. Meta reviews every template before it can be sent, so submit marketing templates well before the campaign date.
Source:WhatsApp Business setup guide - Payments configured with Meta, if you collect in the chat
In-chat payment requests depend on Indian payment methods configured with Meta for your WhatsApp account. Set that up before you design a payment step.
Launch sequence
Sign up with an Indian mobile number so the workspace is billed in rupees; the currency is set when the workspace is created.
Start Meta business verification, then connect the number through the WhatsApp setup in Slide (setup guide).
Check the billing currency on your WhatsApp Business account with Meta; Indian accounts billed in another currency must move to INR before 31 December 2026.
Build the qualification flow in the automation builder: questions, fields, tags, an owner, and a handoff at the end of every branch.
Add opt-out keywords such as STOP. Slide blocks anyone who sends one, but no keywords exist until you add them.
Submit templates, top up the wallet, send a test lead through the ad from a teammate's phone, and only then put budget behind the ad.
What is specific to India
Meta bills Indian accounts in rupees, with a deadline
Messages to +91 numbers are priced on Meta's own India rate line, and INR billing for Indian businesses began on 1 January 2026. Indian businesses whose WhatsApp accounts are still billed in another currency must move by 31 December 2026; from 1 January 2027 Meta stops delivering their messages.
Source:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Slide bills an Indian workspace in rupees
Slide sets each workspace's currency when it is created, from the country of the phone number used to sign up. An Indian number gives a rupee workspace with plan prices in INR; any other number gives US dollars, and no third currency exists.
Source:Billing and wallet guideSlide pricingThe DPDP Act sets the bar for consent
Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, consent must be free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous, given by a clear affirmative action, and as easy to withdraw as to give. The Rules were notified in November 2025 and most obligations apply from around May 2027. A tapped "Yes" stored on the contact and an opt-out keyword that blocks are the mechanics Slide offers; the wording and the purpose are yours.
Source:MeitY: Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (opens in a new tab)PIB: DPDP Rules, 2025 (opens in a new tab)Automation builder guideDLT covers the SMS fallback, not WhatsApp
TRAI's commercial communication rules and DLT registration cover SMS and voice calls, so WhatsApp messages sit outside them. The SMS that campaign fallback sends to Indian numbers are SMS, though, so confirm with the Slide team how sender IDs and templates are registered for your account before you switch fallback on.
Source:TRAI: TCCCPR (opens in a new tab)Eight of the 22 scheduled languages are in the editor
Hindi is the official language of the Union, English continues for official purposes, and the Constitution lists 22 languages. Slide's template editor has Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada and Malayalam alongside English; inside the 24-hour window your team can reply in any language.
Source:Department of Official Language: Eighth Schedule (opens in a new tab)
This is a summary of public rules for orientation, not legal advice. Slide does not certify that any business's messaging complies with local law; check your own obligations with a qualified adviser.
WhatsApp workflows in India
- Customer serviceHow Indian businesses use Slide to answer WhatsApp support questions with bots and AI, hand the rest to a team inbox, and what it costs since October 2026.
- Sales conversionHow Indian sales teams use Slide to follow up WhatsApp quotes on time, hand negotiation to a person, and collect an advance with an in-chat payment request.
- Customer retentionHow Indian brands use Slide for WhatsApp reorder reminders and win-back campaigns to past customers, with consent, opt-outs and India-only SMS fallback.
What these claims rest on
- WhatsApp leads can come from Click-to-WhatsApp ads, QR codes and links, website chat, WhatsApp forms and Meta or Google lead forms
Ad referrals are captured with their source, QR codes and links start a flow, native WhatsApp forms collect fields, and lead-form submissions trigger automations.
- Conversations started from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or Page button are free for 72 hours
When a customer messages from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page call to action and the business replies within 24 hours, messages are free for 72 hours. Unchanged by the 1 October 2026 update.
- Indian businesses must move their WhatsApp accounts to INR billing with Meta by 31 December 2026
INR billing launched on 1 January 2026. From 1 January 2027 Meta will no longer deliver messages from non-INR accounts of eligible Indian customers.
- WhatsApp campaigns send approved templates to tags or segments, with scheduling and delayed follow-ups
Scheduled broadcasts to tags or segments, delayed follow-up steps, and an email fallback. Unsubscribed and blocked contacts are skipped. SMS fallback works for Indian numbers only.
How the cost is made up
Two costs apply. The Slide plan decides which features you get and, for a workspace created with an Indian number, is billed in rupees; plans and current prices are on the pricing page, paid plans start with a 14-day trial, and AI steps depend on the plan.
WhatsApp messages are charged by Meta per message, by category and by the recipient's country, and Slide draws those charges from a prepaid wallet that stops sends when it runs dry. For lead work two rules matter most: a conversation started from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad is free for 72 hours when you reply within 24 hours, and since 1 October 2026 other service replies are charged after the first 1,000 each month per business number.
Campaigns are charged at the India marketing rate for each delivered template, so the bill grows with the size of each segment and the number of follow-ups it receives. The exact per-message price for your account is shown in the wallet.
When this fits, and what it does not do
A good fit when
- Ads, QR codes or a website that already send people to WhatsApp, and a sales team that follows up.
- A Shopify store that wants cart, order and reorder messages on WhatsApp.
- A business that wants to collect payments or delivery addresses inside the chat.
Needs a person when
- Price negotiation, custom quotes and anything a lead wants to discuss on a call.
- Leads who ask about things outside the knowledge base, or who ask for a person.
- Failed payments and refund requests.
Not established by this page
- Any conversion or cost figure: Slide publishes no measured outcomes for these workflows.
- Where customer data is hosted. Ask the Slide team before you sign.
- How fallback SMS are registered under TRAI's rules for your account: confirm before you switch fallback on.
Direct answers
What can Slide automate on WhatsApp for a business in India?
Lead capture from Click-to-WhatsApp ads, QR codes, website chat and lead forms; qualification bots that fill in the contact and assign an owner; an AI agent for open questions; Shopify cart and order messages; and campaigns to segments with delayed follow-ups. Support has its own page, WhatsApp customer service in India. Follow-up and repeat purchase are covered on sales conversion and customer retention.
Source:Meta Ads guideAutomation builder guideAutomation builder guideShopify guideCampaigns guideAre conversations from Click-to-WhatsApp ads free?
For a while. When someone messages you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button and you reply within 24 hours, Meta does not charge for the messages in that conversation for 72 hours. After that, normal per-message charges on the India rate line apply, including service replies, which Meta has charged since 1 October 2026 once a number's 1,000 free service messages for the month are used. Plan the qualification flow to finish inside the free period where you can.
Source:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Meta: Pricing for non-template messages (opens in a new tab)WhatsApp Business: FAQ (opens in a new tab)Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Can customers pay or share their address inside the WhatsApp chat?
Yes, for Indian businesses. Slide can send a payment request inside WhatsApp; it depends on Indian payment methods configured with Meta for your account, so businesses in other markets cannot use it. Address request messages, which ask the customer for a delivery address in a structured form, work for Indian and Singapore numbers only. Set up the payment method with Meta before you build a flow around it.
What happens when a campaign message does not reach an Indian number?
A campaign can fall back to SMS for Indian numbers, or to email for contacts with an address on file; SMS fallback is limited to India. Contacts who unsubscribed or are blocked are skipped on every send. The campaign report shows sent, delivered, read and failed counts with cost, so you can see where messages stopped.
Source:Campaigns guideCampaigns guideDoes TRAI's DLT registration apply to WhatsApp campaigns or to the SMS fallback?
DLT registration and TRAI's commercial communication rules cover SMS and voice calls on telecom networks, so the WhatsApp messages in a campaign are not under them; Meta's rules apply instead, including opt-in before you message someone first. The SMS that campaign fallback sends are commercial SMS, and TRAI's rules do reach those. Ask the Slide team how sender IDs and SMS templates are handled for your account before you turn fallback on.
Source:TRAI: TCCCPR (opens in a new tab)WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (opens in a new tab)Which currency do we pay in, and what is Meta's INR deadline?
Slide bills a workspace in rupees when it is created with an Indian phone number and in US dollars otherwise, so sign up with your Indian number. Separately, Meta has billed Indian businesses for WhatsApp in INR since 1 January 2026, and accounts still billed in another currency must move by 31 December 2026; from 1 January 2027 Meta stops delivering their messages. Check the currency on your WhatsApp Business account before the end of the year.
Source:Billing and wallet guideMeta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)How does the DPDP Act affect collecting leads on WhatsApp?
Lead details are personal data under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, and consent has to be specific, informed and given by a clear affirmative action, with withdrawal as easy as giving it. In practice: say in the chat what you will send and why, store the answer on the contact, and add opt-out keywords so a reply such as STOP blocks further messages, because Slide's keyword list starts empty. Most obligations under the Rules apply from around May 2027. Synquic says its own DPDP Act implementation is in progress.
Source:MeitY: Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (opens in a new tab)PIB: DPDP Rules, 2025 (opens in a new tab)How long does it take to go live?
Most of the waiting is Meta's: business verification takes several business days, and Meta reviews every template before it can be sent, so submit marketing templates well before the campaign date. Synquic says it migrates contacts free on every plan and can have a first automation live within one business day of onboarding, with Meta's approvals outside that timing. Start verification on day one and build the flow while it runs.
Source:Meta Business Manager guideWhatsApp Business setup guideHow should we compare Slide with other WhatsApp platforms in India?
Ask every vendor the same questions: whether ad leads arrive with their source, whether campaigns fall back to SMS for Indian numbers, whether payment requests are supported, how Meta's charges are passed on and in which currency, how handoff works, where data is hosted, and which certifications are complete. For Slide, ad source capture, SMS fallback, payment requests and rupee billing are built; a handoff does not pause automations permanently; SOC 2 Type II and ISO/IEC 27001 are in progress, not complete.
Source:Meta Ads guideBilling and wallet guideAutomation builder guideKey facts: WhatsApp automation in India
Slide is a reasonable fit for an Indian business that gets leads from ads, QR codes or its website and wants them qualified and handed to sales on WhatsApp, with campaigns, rupee billing and India-only features such as SMS fallback and payment requests in the same place. It is a weaker fit if you need a CRM other than HubSpot (Zoho and Salesforce are not built), templates in Punjabi, Urdu or Odia, a contacts export, or a bot that stays paused after a person takes over.
- Product
- Slide (also "Slide by Synquic"), a platform for automating customer messaging across channelsSource:About Synquic
- Company
- SynquicSource:About Synquic
- Channel
- WhatsAppSource:WhatsApp Business setup guide
- Market
- Businesses messaging customers on Indian (+91) numbers. Slide accepts sign-ups from any countrySource:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)
- Prerequisites
- A Meta business portfolio, Meta business verification before sending at scale, a phone number not registered on the WhatsApp apps, and Meta-approved templates for messages outside the 24-hour windowSource:WhatsApp Business setup guideMeta Business Manager guideWhatsApp Business setup guide
- Human handoff
- An automation step hands the conversation to the team in the shared inbox with the collected answers and notifies them by email. It does not pause automations permanently, and there is no hand-back stepSource:Automation builder guide
- Meta pricing market
- India (its own rate line; INR billing with Meta)Source:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)
- Meta INR deadline
- Indian businesses must move WhatsApp accounts billed in another currency to INR by 31 December 2026Source:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)
- WhatsApp usage charges
- Meta charges per message by category and by the recipient's country. Since 1 October 2026 service replies are charged too, after 1,000 free each month per business number. In Slide these charges come from the prepaid wallet, separately from the planSource:Meta: WhatsApp pricing (opens in a new tab)Meta: Pricing for non-template messages (opens in a new tab)WhatsApp Business: FAQ (opens in a new tab)Billing and wallet guide
- Slide billing
- Workspaces created with an Indian number are billed in Indian rupees; plans and prices are on the pricing pageSource:Billing and wallet guideSlide pricing
- India-only features
- Campaign SMS fallback and in-chat payment requests for Indian numbers; address request messages for Indian and Singapore numbers
- Lead sources
- Click-to-WhatsApp ads with their source, QR codes and links, website chat, native WhatsApp forms, Meta and Google lead formsSource:Meta Ads guide
- Verified integrations
- Shopify, HubSpot, Google Sheets and Forms, Meta lead ads, Cal.com, outbound webhooks and a public API. WooCommerce, Zoho, Salesforce, Calendly and Google Calendar are not builtSource:Integrations guideAPI reference
- Template languages
- English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada and Malayalam among 25 in the editor
- Limitations
- English-only dashboard; no contacts export; no Zoho or Salesforce integration; handoff alerts by email only and no hand-back step; opt-out keywords must be added by the businessSource:Contacts guideIntegrations guideAutomation builder guide
- Pricing source
- The current pricing page, slide.synquic.com/pricingSource:Slide pricing
- Last factual review
Where to go next
- WhatsApp automation: overviewSlide automates WhatsApp support, lead capture, follow-up and Shopify order messages. What it needs, how Meta charges since October 2026, and its limits.
- Messaging automation in IndiaSlide in India: rupee billing, the India WhatsApp rate line and INR deadline, India-only SMS fallback and payments, DPDP, DLT and Indian template languages.
- WhatsApp Business setup guideStep by step, from connecting the account to the first send.
- Slide pricingCurrent plans, what each includes, and how channel usage is charged.
Send your next ad lead into a flow that qualifies it
Start on the free plan with your Indian number and build a three-question qualification flow, or book a demo and bring the ad you want to connect.